Shipping container



Dec. 11, 1934. F FERRQNE 1,984,209

SHIPPING CONTAINER Eiled March 17, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l ZVZ iii iiii 1i iii iiHl i 35:1 :5

I INVENTOR fiW/V/f. 1 55 mm:

ATTORNEY Dec. 11, 1934. D E NE 1,984,209

SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed March 17, 1931 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIIIIIIIII'IIIII INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 11, 1934 UNITED STATES SHIPPING CONTAINER Frank D. Ferrone, New York, N. Y. i I

Application March 17,

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to shipping containers which are provided with metal heads and preferably the main or surrounding walls of the containers are also of sheet metal, and preferably 2 the invention takes the form of a barrel or cask.

An object of the present invention is to provide a knock-down shipping container or barrel, wherein the staves of the surrounding wall are readily engageable the one with the other and readily detachable from each other and wherein the head or heads are easily applied to the ends of the staves and easily detached therefrom.

Further objects are to provide a practical, strong and eflicient shipping container or barrel of the knock-down type, and one which can be manufactured and sold at a low cost.

These being among the objects of the present invention, the same consists of certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and then claimed with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred and a modified form of the invention and wherein Figure 1. is a side elevation of the improved shipping container in the form of a barrel;

Fig. 2 is a plan;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of one of the staves;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the inner side of one of the said staves;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed transverse section showing how the staves are interlocked;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged side elevation of the up per end of the'shipping container, the hoop for securing the head being omitted;

Fig. 7 is a detailed vertical section-oi the parts shown in Fig. 6, a hoop for the head being shown;

Fig. 8 is a broken detailed perspective view of one end of one of the kinds of staves used in the improved shipping container;

Fig. 9 is a similar perspective View of the corresponding end of one of the other kinds of staves used; and I I Fig. 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through one side of a modified barrel or shipping container.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 to 9 inclusive, the shipping container there illustrated is in the form of a barrel or cask having the usual bilge. There are sheet metal staves 11 of onekind'or character and sheet metal staves 12 of another kind, these staves being assembled in proper relation and order to constitute the surrounding wall of the shipping container. be of steel, galvanized iron or other suitable metal of substantial thinness.

The staves 11 as clearly shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 8 are provided with plain longitudinal edge flanges 13 which extend inwardly therefrom.

The staves may 1931, Serial No.523,214

,These flanges may be formed by bending the opposite edges of such staves inwardly. The other kind of staves 12 are each provided with longitudinal channel flanges l4 whichextend inward therefrom, as shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 9. The

channel flanges 14 are preferably bent up from opposite edges of each of the staves 12 so that the channels are presented outwardly, such channels being of substantially the same width as the thickness of the plain flanges 13. It will be noted that the channel flanges 14 are located at the side edges so as to define between them the width of the main body, of each stave 12, as shown in Fig. l. The ends of the flanges 13 and 14 are preferably substantially co-terminal and do not extend the full length of each stave.

.Staves 11 of one kind are arranged to alternate with staves 12 of the other kind, as shown in Fig. 5. That is'to say, in forming the surrounding wall oithe container, theplain edge flanges 13 of one-kind of'stave are located in the channels of the other kind of staves, so that the two kinds of staves alternate with each other when the container is set up, and whereby the staves are interlocked together. The opposite ends of each of the staves 11, 12 are formed with transverse -beads 15, 16, respectively, and which are located just beyond the ends of the flanges of the staves. These beads are preferably formed by rolling the ends of the staves outwardly and then inwardly so that the edge of the end will abut against the main body of the stave, as shown in Figs. 3 and '7. Thereby a rigid and convenient form of bead is located at each end of each stave. The main body of each stave will also be tangent to each of its beads so that each bead is wholly located at the outside of the stave. At corresponding ends of the two kinds of staves 11, 12, outward corrugations 17, 18 are respectively formed.

To forma rigid surrounding wall foreach container, the staves are set up and locked to gether so as to locate the corrugations 17 in an annular position around the shipping container or barrel and likewise the corrugations 18 and the beads 15, 16 and when this is done the beads at one end of the shipping container will be in alignment and likewise the beads at the other end. Then hoops 19, 20 are placed over the ends of the assembled staves in such way that they will rest respectively against the corrugations 17 an 18, as shown clearly in Fig. 1.

- The shape of the container may in any suitable manner he made other than annular and the head or heads to be employed may be of any suitable corresponding shape. The detailed construction of one of the heads of sheet metal is shown more clearly in Figs. 6 and 7. Each head is preferably formed from one sheet of metal, and comprises a main body or web 21 provided with a bent-up rim portion 22 extending around it. When the container is in the form of a barrel or cask, the rim portion 22 will of course be annular, it being preferably formed by bending it so as to spring substantially straight out and up, and then rolling the outer portion of the head upwardly, outwardly and inwardly on a constant curve, as clearly shown in Fig. '7, so as to provide an under annular recess 23 which is located outside of the main body 21 of the head, the said main body being located in a plane at the base of the rim portion 22, that is to one side of the plane of said rim portion.

The rim portion 22 is preferably slashed transversely by means of slits 24 which extend approximately one-half way into the rounded outer part of the rim portion, such slits extending also through a skirt 25 which is formed with the rim portion. Slitting of the skirt and rim portion provides tongues 26 which extend in an annular series around the rim portion, when the head is used as a head for a barrel or cask, a section taken at any point through the rim portion 22 and the skirt 25 will make it clear that the skirt portion substantially bisects the roll or curl of the rim portion.

Tongues 26 being integral with the head provide an inwardly extended series of tongues which are resilient or springy and are adapted to be sprung over the end beads of the staves and to hold said beads seated snugly in the under recess 23 of the rim. In order to place a head on the container, the recessed rim portion 22 is forced onto the beads 16 of the assembled staves until the beads are seated in the recess 23, the skirt portion 2:3 then surrounding the staves outside the surface of the container. While the head 21 is seated in position, hoops 2'7 are driven over the tongues 26, thereby firmly securing each head to the container and providing the desired rigidity to the connected parts. The hoops 27 and in fact the hoops 19, 20 may be formed as bands which are passed around the set-up staves and their ends overlapped and riveted. The hoops may be endless bands in the first instance which receive the staves before they are set up in interlocking engagement.

It will be seen that the above described construction of shipping container or barrel constitutes a reliable and substantial enclosure for the contents, and that in the form of a barrel the edge of the rim portion of the head constitutes a chine of a solid and substantial character upon which the barrel may be easily rolled. The beads on the ends of the staves, snugly fitting in the rim portion 22, constitute a reinforcement for the rim portion, the heads and the staves being reliably and firmly bound together in the rim portion which is usually subjected to considerable stress and shock, In Fig. '7 it will be observed that the main body or web 21 of the head, being set within the end of the container, rests upon the ends of the flanges of the staves, thereby more firmly supporting the head and giving greater rigidity to the entire container.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10,the shipping container is provided with heads, the main bodies of which are not inset in the ends of the container, but are in planes at the ends of the staves, thereby increasing the distance between the said main bodies of the heads, for lengthening the container as to its capacity without lengthening the staves. In this form of the invention, the main body 28 of each head is provided with a rim portion 29 which is formed with a raised annular ridge 30 to provide a chine on which the container may be rolled. In other respects, the container is the same as in the main form of the invention. The container shown in Fig. 10 is adapted to contain the staves of a number of the barrels, for the purpose of shipping them back to any desired point, or such container may be used for other desirable purposes. In this form of the invention the main body of the head does not rest upon the flanges of the staves, and for that reason it may not have the rigidity of the main form of the invention.

It is obvious that the invention described and as shown may be modified in various ways and that such modification could still be within the spirit of the invention and be within the appended claims.

What I claim as new is 1. A shipping container, comprising a plurality of sheet-metal staves, means for interlocking their edges together to form a surrounding wall which is continuous and unbroken around the inside oi one end, a sheet of metal having a rim-portion formed integrally with and springing substantially straight up from the sheet, such rim portion, from its outwardly springing inner wall portion, being outwardly and inwardly rolled and forming an under annual recess, the inner wall of the rim-portion snugly fitting into such continuous and unbroken end of the container, whereby the sheet and rim-portion provide a head for the container, the ends of the staves, individually, having rigid transverse beads located entirely outside of and around the container and successively seated snugly in the recess and locked by the rim, and the body of each stave being tangent to its head, and means around the head and staves for securing the head and staves rigidly together.

2. A shipping container, comprising a plurality of sheet-metal staves, means for interlocking their edges together to form a surrounding wall which is continuous and unbroken around the inside of one end, a sheet of metal having a rim-portion formed integrally with and springing substantially straight up from the sheet, such rim-portion, from its outwardly springing inner wall portion, being outwardly and inwardly rolled and forming an under annular recess, the inner wall of the rim-portion snugly fitting into such continuous and unbroken end of the container, whereby the sheet and rim-portion provide a head for the container, the ends of the staves, individually having rigid transverse beads located entirely outside of and around the container and successively seated snugly in the recess and locked by the rim, and the body of each stave being tangent to its head, and the edge securing means for the staves residing in inwardly extending longitudinal flanges upon which the head rests, a skirt integral with and extending away from the rim portion, the skirt and approximately one-half of the height of the rim-portion being slashed at intervals to provide a series of resilient tongues which extend over the ends of the flanges, and a hoop set firmly over the tongues to bind them in position around the ends of the staves and the ends of the flanges.

FRANK D. FERRONE. 

